RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The long-pending proposal to widen the congested approach road to Rajamahendravaram railway station is set to gain momentum, with the municipal administration planning to take up the works on priority ahead of the Pushkarams.
The nearly two-km stretch from Alcott Gardens to the Goods Shed witnesses traffic due to the movement of railway and bus passengers, autorickshaw parking and encroachments. Commuters frequently face severe congestion, particularly during peak hours. Speaking to TNIE, RMC City Planner GVSN Murthy said the municipal administration would prioritise road-widening works around the East Railway Station to improve connectivity between the bus stand and Morampudi Junction and to ease traffic congestion during the anticipated Pushkarams rush.
“Road widening from Alcott Gardens to Government Junior College will certainly be taken up, as the stretch has become heavily congested and traffic management has become difficult. Railway authorities have come forward to provide land, and the municipal administration will take up the widening works soon,” he said.
Railway authorities have reportedly agreed to provide a 10-foot-wide strip of railway land, subject to payment of compensation and construction of a protective wall estimated to cost around Rs 13 crore.
The proposal has reportedly drawn the attention of MP Daggubati Purandeswari and Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary.
Godavari Parirakshana Samiti president TK Visweswara Reddy urged the RMC authorities to prioritise widening the railway station road and simultaneously widen the East Station Road, warning that otherwise traffic woes would continue. During rains, sewage water accumulates between the Goods Shed and railway station, reaching knee-deep levels in some locations.
A proposal made five years ago to lay a 150-metre pipeline from the Goods Shed and connect it to the Aava drainage is yet to materialise. The issue was also raised at a meeting.
Railway officials have reportedly agreed to permit the work, subject to written approval. With the drainage network linked to 35 streets, the proposed pipeline could help address recurring flooding.
